(a)

in July 2019 Cabinet approved an initial business case to carry out engagement regarding the proposed future design of Early Help and Targeted Support services in Plymouth (up to the age of 19); the programme of engagement would take place between August and October 2019 with Children’s Centres, families and targeted support services; scrutiny was asked to engage in the process;

(b)

the aim of the project was to create a network of family hubs that were warm, welcoming, friendly and non-stigmatising to encourage children, young people and families to receive support, socialise, learn new skills and connect with community links to build resilience.

(c)

it may be beneficial to set up a pilot scheme in a deprived part of the city to test success;

(d)

youth centres should be engaged with as part of the consultation and overall programme; it was queried if youth centres were currently being utilised effectively;

(e)

this project was a good idea and should fill a gap in provision left by Surestart;

(f)

it was questioned if other services such as pop-up libraries could be brought into the programme, how the programme could be used to help support young people with ASB behaviours, and if the programme would connect with the CAMHS pathway?;

(g)

the distribution of centres didn’t appear to be even across the city;

(h)

access for dental services was important as well as input from the police;

(i)

concerned that the budget may be restricted and affect the project’s success;

(j)

emphasise the need for a joined up approach with health colleagues;

(k)

the voice of the child was important – where were officers interacting with young people?

(l)

the programme findings were to be presented to Cabinet in November 2019 with an expectation that procurement (if any) would take place in the Spring of 2020 with implementation in Spring 2021; it was anticipated that the programme would have time to run pilots;

(m)

youth centres were being consulted as part of the engagement process; officers were conscious that they tended to operate at different hours across the city and it was vital that the needs of all users, from parents with young children to teenagers, were met;

(n)

officers were assessing how buildings, which would form part of the programme, were being used in order to fill potential gaps and make the best use of them;

(o)

officers were approaching a multitude of providers, including the DWP, health visitors, school nurses, education providers and early years providers, to see how they could better work together;

(p)

there was a desire to create a couple of dedicated spaces for the targeted support practitioners, specifically in areas where it was identified that were existing issues or an emerging need of support;

(q)

officers were working up a model for an adolescent support team to provide early intervention for young people who were in the early stages of ASB;

(r)

the network of health and wellbeing hubs were not included on the map in the report;

(s)

this programme would take time to embed however officers were trying to future proof it as much as possible;

(t)

officers were aware of the need to drive change and be transformative with the practicalities of working within a budget; this new way of working would enable a greater ability to bid for funding grants in a more joined up way;

(u)

young people were being engaged with as part of the consultation process;

(v)

members were encouraged to advertise the via social media channels to ensure a wide range of responses were received.